SHERYL INSPIRATION

30/08/2017

Some women are pure inspiration to their generation. They are champion mums, because they win everywhere they play, even when the medal swing in the opposite direction. One of such women is Sheryl Sandberg, the current COO of Facebook and founder of Leanin.org, who is also the first woman to serve on Facebook’s board.

Sheryl persistently challenges women to lean in to positions of leadership because by having more female voices in positions of power, there will be more equitable opportunities for everyone.

Before Facebook, Sandberg worked at Google as V.P. of global online sales and operations; and at McKinsey as management consultant.

In 2012, she was in the Time 100, an annual list of 100 most influential people in the world, and reported to be worth over $1.6 billion.

In high school, Sheryl was “always at the top of her class”. She was awarded a prize at Harvard for the top graduating student in economics. She also met Professor Larry Summers, who became her mentor and adviser. Summers would later recruit her as research assistant at the World Bank, and as Chief of Staff to the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. She graduated at Harvard Business School with highest MBA distinction.

Sheryl is on Forbes list of ‘America’s Self-Made Women’, and sits on the board of companies, including The Walt Disney Company and Women for Women International. She gave a TED speech titled “Why we have too few women leaders”, and in 2015, signed an open letter addressed to Angela Merkel and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, urging them to focus on women as they serve as the head of the G7 in Germany and the AU in South Africa respectively.

In 2013, Sandberg released her first book, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, saying for change to happen, women need to break down societal and personal barriers by striving for and achieving leadership roles.

Sandberg, a high-flier super mum with two kids, still holds family values in high esteem. She strikes a work-life balance by entering into a shared parenting marriage, making sure that as her career blossoms, the home does not suffer.